Aftermath and After Years
by A Wanderer in the Snow
Summary: "We'll be back, Mr. Sully. Enjoy it while it lasts, but we will be back." - The RDA has gone, but for how long will the peace last? There are still problems to be resolved on Pandora.
1. A Sense of Worth

**A Sense of Worth**

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* * *

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With roaring engines echoing off the grey buildings and tarmac; creating a hurricane of sound, the Valkyrie shuttle slowly rose off the landing pad and into the air. The last of the RDA employees were safely inside, having had anything remotely dangerous confiscated; they weren't going to be coming back for some time.

The shuttle began its ascent into the clouds and away into the atmosphere, the Na'vi nearby finally removed their hands from desperately trying to cover their ears as it disappeared into the humid sky. Jake watched the shuttle go and finally the elation that they had actually defeated the RDA, SecOps and Quaritch hit him. He was astonished by what had happened; they hadn't had to try to siege the compound or break in, which would have led to terrible casualties. Selfridge had declared that they would fight to the last man when Jake offered him terms of surrender, and Jake had almost lost heart at those words. It would be another, even worse massacre as the automatic guns along the fence-line picked out targets and shot them down more efficiently than any human could do. Even without ninety percent of the mercenaries Jake would be hard pressed to breach the defences.

Instead, as they prepared to attack, Jake had received a call in the newly repaired link centre in the jungle. A Major Anderson had spoken to him, accepting his conditions of surrender, and when Jake asked about Selfridge, Anderson had simply replied, 'He won't be a problem any more.' Jake had since found out that Anderson, who was next in line to succeed Quaritch's replacement, who had been killed in the battle, had discovered something about Selfridge. Selfridge had issued the orders to fight, keeping the second Valkyrie shuttle prepped for immediate evacuation of specific personnel; namely himself. The Major had arrested Selfridge, despite his name being on the list Selfridge had written for evacuation, and thrown the cowardly man into a holding cell while he negotiated a truce with Sully over a com link.

* * *

Jake had met Major Anderson on the tarmac as the Na'vi dropped from the sky and flooded through the gates, he was wary of a trap; so far he only had the man's word but he had no other choice. Anderson turned out to be a large, dour man who took himself seriously and was intelligent enough to realise they had got off lightly. He had been there in the Control Room, watching the screens as the thermal imaging satellites followed Quaritch and SecOps towards the Na'vi stronghold. The huge screens had shown up the Valkyrie, Dragon and escorts as yellow dots swarming across the blue background of the Hallelujah Mountains. Then a mass of red and white had bloomed across the screens as the Na'vi appeared in numbers. James Anderson had watched as Selfridge's face fell and confusion broke his easy smile; the screens were hard to interpret if you didn't know what to look for. However, the over-confident smile had returned as the mass broke up and the attack obviously fell apart. The Valkyrie and the Dragon Gunship were neigh untouchable, but more than a few of the escort Samsons and Scorpions were small white dots, burning on the ground.

They couldn't communicate with the attack force due to the flux vortex, but Anderson could count the remaining escort and there were more than enough to make it the last few klicks to the stronghold. He could feel the tension in the air as they approached the 'Tree of Souls', the ridiculous tree that seemed to be the centre of their entire culture. Suddenly the mass of red dots; hundreds if not thousands of Na'vi appeared again, and several gasps went through the room. Anderson only frowned; the Na'vi were more prepared than they had thought, obviously they had hidden a secondary force from the satellites, but why leave it so late?

Suddenly a huge white mass bloomed on the map and Selfridge was beside himself shouting, 'Yes! We've done it! We got 'em!'

But the others had gone silent.

Anderson felt he should tell Parker, but he couldn't find the words. Instead he pointed out that the 'Tree of Souls' was in fact a klick further to the North. Confusion rushed over Parker's face again, 'What the hell was that then?'

'Sir, I believe we just lost Valkyrie One.'

Then the Dragon too span out of control.

* * *

Major James Anderson had stood his ground as the gigantic winged beast dropped down from on high, the wind from its wings buffeting him, but he stood still and let it come. A huge Na'vi warrior stood on its back and leapt down as it crouched on the tarmac, obviously uncomfortable with its surroundings.

Inside, Major Anderson was shaking like a leaf, but he hadn't been promoted to Major for nothing; half of being an officer was acting as though you could do anything, and Major Anderson could have won Oscars. The ornately decorated Na'vi in front of him patted the flying juggernaut on the chin and it closed its eyes lazily, like a dog before he turned away to face the human standing before him.

The Na'vi war-chief towered over him and had every semblance of a vicious savage, apart from the M60 heavy machine gun he had slung across his back like toy.

'Jake Sully?' Anderson asked, his nervousness bottled up inside.

'Major Anderson?' the giant asked, no hint of a Na'vi accent coming through.

'Speaking, I'm here to surrender control of Hell's Gate to you.'

'Good. We're here to take it.' The Na'vi grinned, and suddenly Anderson became aware of just how big their canines were, it was quite an intimidating sight.

Major Anderson unclipped his pistol, and handed it across to the Na'vi who took it with thumb and forefinger, the vicious weapon suddenly looking ridiculous in the creature's huge hands.

* * *

Anderson was the last to board the Valkyrie, giving Jake one last piece of advice before he left; 'We'll be back, Mr. Sully. Enjoy it while it lasts, but we _will_ be back. They can't let this go.' With those words he turned and walked away up the ramp.

* * *

A grin broke across Jake's face and he turned and whooped to the other hunters, waving his rifle above his head. A storm of cheering broke out across the tarmac as the Avatar team joined in too. Through the window of the control tower he could see Norm, Max and the twelve others who had been allowed to stay behind shouting and laughing.

Neytiri ran towards him and jumped into his arms, linking her feet around his waist, he was almost knocked over by the attack but he caught himself and they spun, laughing as the sun finally broke through the clouds.

'Jake, the Sky People, the _tawtute_, are gone!'

'I know! We are free!'

They both laughed and then he pulled her in close, their lips met and they kissed passionately; uncaring of the normal social etiquette.

* * *

The flight back to the Tree of Souls was uneventful, a handful of hunters had been left behind to guard the tribes and those who had _ikran_ met them in the air, calling questions and whooping loudly. The remaining humans would stay at Hell's gate for the time being, later they would make plans for the future. Jake and Neytiri had a quiet flight back on _Toruk_, hardly talking, though it was not as though they could easily on the back of the giant beast. The wind, Neytiri trying to balance on an animal she had no control of and possibly, _maybe_, a slight reluctance. They hadn't spoken properly since Jake had dropped out of the sky on the back of _Toruk_ and been proclaimed _Toruk Makto_. From then on it had been too petty: they had brought the clans together, planned a defense and won a great victory. Too much had happened and Jake knew they would have to talk at some point. There was a lot to set straight.

Then Jake remembered Anderson's last words, they weren't a threat, Anderson wasn't that kind of man, "We'll be back, Mr. Sully. Enjoy it while it lasts, but we _will_ be back." After those words he had thought about those they had lost, and he hoped it would never have to happen again, the faces of those who had died past him in the air: Trudy, smiling and laughing at the awe on their faces; Eytukan, serene and proud as he placed his hands on Jake's shoulders; Tsu'tey, who had turned from hateful enemy to noble brother; the hundreds of others who had died at his command, he had walked the rows of the dead before they were taken away for burial and their faces were burnt into his mind.

He had hope though; that he could re-forge some kind of relationship with Neytiri from the ruins he had made, she had already given him reason but he knew that hard times were ahead. The look on her face when he landed at the Tree of Souls had been amazing; to him it felt as though every effort he had ever made in life was being rewarded when she looked at him across the crowd of awed Na'vi. His heart had leapt when she had approached him, adrenaline coursing through his veins, but an odd sense of calm had settled over him. He didn't feel like the same guy who had fallen from a direhorse so many times he had lost count, the guy who missed all of the most obvious signs in tracking a hexapede, or even the guy who had raced Neytiri thousands of feet down a cliff face on their _ikran_. He felt almost empty, devoid of emotion; his mind focused on the task at hand.

The crowd had parted and he had met Neytiri, she had gazed at him in the silence created by his presence and whispered, 'I see you… I was afraid, Jake, for my people.' _She_ had made excuses! It hadn't felt right, after all he had put her through; he had smiled and he had hoped that there would be time for words later. He had caressed her cheek to reassure her that it would be alright, but then he had had to pursue his main objective; saving the Na'vi.

He had made mistakes, but it seemed Neytiri was willing to try again. He hoped with all his might he could forge something from the ruins he had created.

* * *

They swept down through the flying arches around the Tree of Souls, Neytiri clutching onto his shoulders; Mo'at was there, along with hundreds of the Na'vi people, the tribes mixing as one great nation. The honour guard of all the warriors who had been supervising at Hell's Gate swooping down behind them; it must have been an amazing sight. They landed and he dismounted, helping Neytiri down then he turned and stroked the huge ridge above _Toruk_'s sulphurous eyes and patted him, then he released _tsahaylu_ with the massive beast. Taking Neytiri's hand they walked down the corridor that opened before them through the crowd, and Jake felt that odd sense of déjà vu as _Toruk_ stretched behind them and made himself comfortable. They reached the dais on which Mo'at stood and he looked up at her, 'Speak Jakesully.' Was all she said, gesturing to the platform as she stepped down; honouring him. He stepped up to take her place, and turned around. There was absolute silence. He couldn't bear having every eye on him and he reached out to Neytiri, _I need you, beside me_, was all he thought and she seemed to understand. She stepped up to the platform and stood just behind him.

He looked out over the crowd, and took a deep breath, picking his words; Tsu'tey wasn't here to translate.

_'The sky people have left our lands.' _

Cheering erupted everywhere, the noise was deafening. Warriors shouted from the ledges, children danced and women shouted praises to _Eywa_, banshees screamed on the ledges as though they too were celebrating. Jake raised his arms for silence, but to no avail, the noise seemed like it would last forever. Eventually _Toruk_ became agitated with all the cheering for he roared and everything became still again.

_'The sky people have left, but we bear our own sorrows,' _He was thinking of Tsu'tey and the hundreds of warriors who had been killed in the battle, the numbers of _pa'li_ among the tribes had been devastated and their would be many who would have to choose whether to take _Iknimaya_ again to find another _ikran_.

_'There are many who we will not see again, those who gave their lives to defend their homes, those who died bravely to answer our call. I honour them.'_

There were tears among those in the crowd as they remembered fathers, brothers and sisters who had died in the final battle against the RDA. Jake paused to give them time to remember and then he went on, _'But we must rebuild our homes, return to our lives and live as they would have lived, in freedom and with grace. May Eywa bless those who have died and help us to rebuild our lives.'_

He paused again, wondering what to say next.

_'I declare two days of mourning for those who have departed to the embrace of Eywa, however, in four days, four days from now, in this place we will celebrate our victory and a hope for new life!'_

Cheering erupted again, a storm that wouldn't be stopped if ten or even twenty _Toruk_s were roaring at them.

* * *

'Are you saying that I could truly be one of The People?' Jake was astounded at what Mo'at had just suggested and was having trouble understanding her more complex Na'vi. He lapsed into English, 'That I could transfer my consciousness, um… spirit into this body permanently?'

'Yes,' Mo'at said rather gravely, 'You would pass through the Eye of Eywa and become truly one of the people. As Grace would have done.'

Jake stood their with his mouth agape, Neytiri watched him hopefully, and Mo'at conveyed no expression whatsoever on her entirely impassive face.

'I… I dunno… I need to talk to a couple of people; to you Neytiri.'

'We need an _Olo'eyktan_, a leader, Jake.'

'I… I what!' his head whipped round and he now stared at Neytiri.

'We need a leader.'

'I…I'm not…'

'You have already proven yourself to be a great _tsam'eyktan, _a war-leader, is it so surprising?' interjected Mo'at.

'I need to talk to Neytiri about this.'

'Very well. The other clan leaders believe you would be the right choice, Awkey of the Plains and Ti'rani of the Eastern Sea, are particularly supportive. But believe you me; you would lead the Omaticaya well.'

'I need to talk to Neytiri first.'

'Very well, I will ask again in the morning, I hope you will have made your decision by then. _Kiyevame, Toruk Makto. Eywa ngahu.' _She left them there and walked out of the shelter, into the night.

Jake looked at Neytiri and found her already watching his reaction, eyes wide; curious and concerned.

'I can't do this, Neytiri. I've brought nothing but war and pain to your people.'

'They are your people now, Jake.'

'No, I'm still just another grunt with some crazy ideas.'

Neytiri gently reached out for and took his hand, 'Not any more, my Jake, you are so much more; you have changed.' She whispered, 'let me show you.'

She had her queue in her other hand and she brought it near to where his hung down his chest, he took his own and met hers. The nerve endings twitched and then wrapped around each other.

They both sighed at the ecstatic pleasure which ran through their bodies and they wrapped their arms around each other, pressing their foreheads together; engaged in each others minds. There was no need to speak now. Their hearts beat in rhythm and he could feel her pressing against him, and him against her.

Images flashed before their eyes, Neytiri's memories: Jake blundering through the jungle with a crude spear, Jake falling from a direhorse, Jake trying to fire his bow correctly, Jake fighting his _ikran_. The images began to change slightly and he felt the love they conveyed, Jake swimming in the fluorescing river below the waterfall, Jake's first flight, his first kill, Jake standing straight and tall with his bow bent back and an arrow ready to fire: a true warrior. They changed again, an awed feeling emanating from Neytiri: Jake swooping out of the sky on _Toruk_, Jake grim-faced and dour looking at Grace's body, Jake in his full wargear, facepaint, necklaces and bow, '_This…THIS IS OUR LAND!'_.

His voice echoed through the mind, and he felt again the surge of adrenaline that had flooded him, he knew where they stood. Neytiri had shown that despite everything, she was still desperately in love with him, as he was with her.

'Jake, do you know how many people have become _Toruk Makto_ since the time of the first songs?'

'You said I was the sixth.' He wondered what she was trying to say now.

'Do you know how many people have _tried_ to become _Toruk Makto_?'

'Six?' He hazarded.

'In _inglisi _numbers: over one of you hundreds.'

He looked down at her, confused, 'What…what happened to the others?'

'They failed… Clans have lost leaders, good hunters and warriors. And we only know of the people who have said they would try to become _Toruk Makto_.'

She let this thought sink in, 'Most are killed trying to… attempt such a feat. What do you _feel_ when you bond to _Toruk_?'

He thought about it and paused for a moment, 'It's not like an _ikran_ or _pa'li_… I don't feel like I'm completely in control. It's more like… like I suggest things, and _Toruk_ acknowledges me… more like…' He struggled for a moment, 'Like we're partners, he seems interested in me… almost amused. He liked the fight with the RDA, he gets annoyed by the noisy _kunsip_, he thought it was a good hunt.'

'Almost all people will never be able to bond with another creature apart from _ikran_ and _pa'li_; they get wild, angry. If someone tried to bond to _angtsik _it would charge around, or any other creature it would try to get away. _Ikran_ and _pa'li_ can bond because it benefits both; Na'vi gets a mount and _pa'li_ gets sheltered and protected, _ikran_ gets fed well even when it cannot find something to hunt. _Toruk_ does not need a rider, or anything else. _Toruk_ is mighty.'

He could feel her awe again, rising like a wave through the bond.

'You still don't know me. Look.'

He sent his own memories through the bond: Tom and himself playing ball in the garden, a grey lifeless city on a grey, lifeless planet, recruitment at an army HQ, shooting targets on the practise range, guarding a water refinery in the desert, running through the jungle with bullets whipping through the leaves, watching bullets punch through a young Venezuelan militant, others militants running screaming until his hail of bullets cut them down, watching the grenade roll in slow motion to his feet, pain…Tom lying there, not moving in a cardboard crate.

Quaritch's first speech: _'We have an indigenous population called the Na'vi…they are very hard to kill.'_ The terror of running from a Thanator. The disappointment of waking up in his human body each night. The beauty of Pandora, the forest, the sky, the people. Neytiri's angry face as he tried to follow her. Neytiri's impatient looks as he failed again and again to learn anything. Neytiri's hatred and pain as she screamed, '_You will never be one of the people.'_

He felt her flinch against him, and then hug him tighter.

The feeling of being called a traitor to his own race _and_ the people he was desperately trying to help. The sheer feeling of despair as he watched the light go out in Grace's eyes…

He stopped there and opened his eyes, Neytiri had tears streaming down her face and she looked up at him.

'Jake. You don't understand; you didn't give up. When you called, the people answered, the forest answered; Eywa answered. This is why you should be _Olo'eyktan_; you know how it feels to be outside of it all, you know how much all of this is _worth_.'

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you like it! Review please!

Merry Christmas!


	2. A Primal Beat

**A Primal Beat**

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Jake's eyes snapped open; the feeling of someone standing beside him was gone, he had had the weirdest dream. Planets had risen and suns had waned before his very eyes, forests had grown up lush and green before they collapsed into desert wastes, then he had followed a single creature through the undergrowth, never catching sight. It all went in a rush and just as he began to realise something he blinked and his eyes focused, Neytiri was smiling down at him, Mo'at was there too, both covered in a greenish glow. Purplish vines hung from the sky and the most _atokirina_ he had ever seen floated about the tree. If there was one thing he knew for certain now; it was that Eywa did exist.

Neytiri was still smiling at him, white teeth against blue skin.

He took a deep breath and suddenly a hundred sounds, smells and feelings hit him; stronger than anything he had ever felt before. Was this what it was like to be a true Na'vi? The ground was hard beneath him and he felt hundreds of tiny rootlets pulling away from his skin, he could smell the jungle; the heavy evening scent of flowers and felt the cool breeze on his face. Everything was suddenly so much more intense, more poignant, more visceral; it was as though he was truly waking up and using his senses for the first time in his life. He took another deep breath, savouring the scents of the night and felt his ears twitch as they picked up the cry of banshee some way away, he rolled onto his side and stood up, for the first time he didn't need to think about balancing with his tail; suddenly it was a part of him rather than and hindrance, it moved instinctively. He took Neytiri's hands and looked deep into her eyes; for the first time since he had landed on Pandora he felt he truly belonged, 'I _see_ you,' was all he could say.

'_I_ see you.' She whispered back.

* * *

There was silence throughout the thousands who were present to take part in the ceremony and Jake could feel their gaze. Then he made an awful mistake; he glanced down at the frail, tiny figure wrapped in the roots of the _Vitraya Ramunong_, someone, Neytiri, he guessed had taken the exopack off his, _no it's_, face. The tiny figure wasn't moving, or breathing.

He looked away again quickly; it was horribly disturbing to see his own dead body lying there. He looked up again at the silent crowd. Then Mo'at stepped forward with his necklaces and armbands; this was a symbolic event: representing his rebirth and a new life. Neytiri took the necklaces and slipped them over his head; he pushed the armbands up around his biceps and looked back at Mo'at. Another Na'vi had passed her the largest bow he had ever seen; intricate carvings flowed down the sides and over the second, reinforced stock. He could tell just from looking at it that it must have a draw weight of hundreds of pounds and it would fire great distances, even by Na'vi standards. It had a worn handgrip, and looked very old but the string was clearly new and some type of horn was built into the tips of the stock. This was true warrior's weapon; over long distances or in melee it would serve its purpose well.

'This is bow of _Toruk Makto, _who was my father's grandfather; it has been kept for many generations. It was the bow of _Toruk Makto_ before him, and will be again after you. It is yours now.'

Mo'at handed him the bow and he took it in both hands, for it was heavier than a usual Na'vi bow, he simply looked at her; awed at being given such a treasured artefact. Then she turned to the crowd and he felt Neytiri slip her hand into his as he rested the bow on the ground, it reached to his shoulder.

'_I give you Toruk Makto, of the Omaticaya, and truly one of Eywa's People!'_

The noise was incredible; the victory celebrations had begun and they would last until tomorrow at least.

* * *

Neytiri could openly feel the change in Jake as he stood before his people; the model of a clan leader, sombre and composed despite the miracle that had just occurred. Since he had woken she had realised what it meant to be truly bonded; she could almost feel the emotions radiating out from him. Right now he was confused and slightly lost as too his position, his human body practically lay at his feet and a sort of fearful uncertainty was beginning to grow in waves.

Neytiri took his hand and directed him down from the platform, feeling him ease at the contact. They left the platform and Jake's former body behind, and at the head of thousands walked towards the caves where cooks had been preparing what the hunters had brought in, in the last two days. Eywa had provided and the remaining hunters had hardly had their skills tested. Toruk had managed to kill a huge _angtsik_ and massive haunches of meat were roasting on the fires along with every kind of edible food Pandora had to offer. There was a suspicious brew that Awkey had made in the last few days which smelt distinctly toxic, various alcoholic…beers, if they could be called that, weird hallucinogenic tea as well as water for those who wanted to remember the night. But best of all, to Jake at least, was that Max had found a couple of crates of whisky in Selfridge's apartments and had sent one over with the Avatar drivers. To the heightened taste-buds of a Na'vi the stuff was exquisite. However, due to the Na'vi ability to consume huge quantities of alcohol due to their size he was forced into restricting access to the whisky to the leaders of the gathered tribes, knowing that Max and the others, the _humans_, had more of it tucked away back in Hell's Gate.

Jake's thoughts turned to those at Hell's Gate as they walked; he had essentially lied to them. He had had the remaining pilot drop him at the repaired link centre, where he had 'left the spare parts to his wheelchair', and Robbie, the pilot was coming to pick him up the next morning. He had explained that he and Neytiri needed to work a few things out, and therefore, needed to be left alone, despite Norm's protestations. Basically, they had no idea what he had just done. Assuming he was still alive in the morning he had a surprise for them.

They reached the entrance to the massive overhang of rock that they were using as a general eating area and Jake's thoughts were driven from his mind by the sheer number of glowing lanterns, flowers and decorations that had gone up since that morning when he had left his avatar, _no, body now_. He grinned and Neytiri grinned back; it was like she knew what he was thinking, he could almost hear her thoughts and he could feel the excitement and relief that he was alright bubbling out of her.

* * *

The other clan leaders were waiting for him on a raised dais towards the back of the overhang, above the main area and they toasted him as he arrived.

'_Oel ngati kameie, Toruk Makto_.' They called as he approached and he replied, gesturing to all of them.

They all drank some of the noxious brew that Awkey had come up with before Jake became nauseous and began to pour whisky into bowls for them. The stuff Awkey had prepared was nothing like the refined art of distilling that Earth could provide. At first they were suspicious of a _tawtute_ drink until Neytiri recommended it, having tried it earlier and after several bowls they were all agreeing that it was a first class drink, and slurring slightly. Each bowl held roughly half a bottle…

Drums pounded above them on the cliff; huge polished logs with tight skins wrapped over each end. Two drummers played alternate rhythms on each and the result was a primeval throbbing which ran through the ground and became a part of the earth, as though a great heart was beating somewhere underground. At the entrance of the overhang was a huge cleared area with a massive fire on which burned all kinds of sweet smelling herbs, and dancers whirled, swayed and shook amid the flickering light. Huge shadows rolled across the cliffs and on the terraces above there was more to delight the eye; amazing feats of acrobatics were performed, jugglers spun fiery bolas through the air leaving smoky trails, and couples danced sensuously in more private areas to the primal beat.

Jake was in awe of the whole experience and struggled to take it all in, watching as acrobatic feats became more and more exciting and dangerous as members of different clans tried to outcompete each other. He was happy to sit and watch his people enjoy themselves when Neytiri took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

'Come, we must dance!'

'Well…' He had never been particularly great at dancing. 'Only if I don't have to wear all of this,' he relented, shedding the necklaces and bracelets that defined him as _Toruk Makto_. Without it fewer people would recognize him and he would feel less self-conscious.

She pulled him away to near the centre of the great crowd of dancers, close to the fire where light flickered across them and weaving patterns lit the floor and their bodies. Neytiri began to sway with the rhythm and they both soon became lost in their own world of flashing white teeth, glittering yellow eyes and flickering blue skin. They weaved in and out of the crowd, brushing lightly against each other and all the while flowing in a great circle around the blazing fire.

Later they sat exhausted on the upper terraces, watching the remaining dancers revolving in hypnotic patterns around the great fire and sharing one of the remaining bowls of whisky. A few jugglers were keeping a small crowd impressed with the flaming bolas; spinning them above their heads, round their feet and tossing them back and forth to each other. Jake watched yet another young couple slink away into the shadows and whispered to Neytiri, 'Something tells me there will be many new children in a few months time.' She leant back against his shoulder and grinned up at him, 'And you will have to bless them all.'

That threw him slightly, 'Hmm…'

He looked down at the fire again, losing himself for a few minutes among the flames.

Finally he picked up the bowl off whisky and sipped it, then offered it to Neytiri who was leaning against his chest.

'Mmm, no. I have too much already, I feel…' She searched for the word.

'Wobbly.' Jake suggested.

'I do not know what that means…but it sounds like how I feel.' She laughed breathlessly and shifted slightly against his chest, then with a small amount of urgency in her voice said, 'We must go.'

'Where?'

Jake watched as she struggled to her feet, and he went to stand up.

'_Kelku,_ home,' came the reply followed by a slight squeak and Neytiri collapsing against him.

He caught her and lifted her up in his arms, as she giggled in a most un-Neytiri like fashion, then she laid her head against his chest and he dropped down onto the next terrace, and then another and another. They reached the ground around the fire and Jake carried her away towards the sleeping area, to their alcove, slightly apart from the rest of the tribe. He laid her on a soft mattress of ferns, knelt beside her and kissed her passionately; she responded in kind and it was a long time before they broke apart, Neytiri still searching for his lips. Then she pulled him down to join her on the mattress, they both gasped as their queues formed a bond without either meaning to. Waves of pleasure rolled over them and they began to move to a more primeval rhythm than the drums outside.

Outside a pale pink light was beginning to glow on the horizon.

* * *

With the sun rose several tired Na'vi; Jake among them, but he closed his eyes again as pain surged between them as the light pierced his vision. He stood shakily; trying to transmit his thoughts to Neytiri, _I'm going out for a while, _he sent mental images of himself leaving the alcove. He wasn't sure if this would work, but he didn't want her to worry if she woke up alone. Since they had bonded a few times now they seemed to be able to guess, no_ tell_, what the other was thinking. Then, nursing a terrible hangover he left Neytiri sleeping and wandering outside, taking a drinking-bowl to a small spring a short distance away.

He sat by the small pool the spring formed for a little while, listening to it trickling musically and sipping the cool water he had collected. The images of the night were blurry; Awkey placing a hand over his heart and proclaiming them brothers, Neytiri weaving sinuously through the flickering shadows as the pendulum drums boomed out their call, eyes fixed on his, flaming bolas sparking wildly as they flew through the air…

After some time he was overcome by the urge to fly, and went to find Títx, his _ikran_ as _Toruk_ had flown off before the celebration to get away from the noise and to hunt. He had named his _ikran Títxur_, strength, but called it Títx for short. He found him on one of the higher ledges above the caves among a group of the _Omaticaya_ banshees; he recognized some of the others. Títx hopped over when he saw Jake and pushed at his chest, 'Yeh, boy. I know, I haven't seen you for a while, had a lot to do.'

He took a large slice of cold meat from behind his back and offered it to Títx who snapped it up and threw his head back to swallow it. 'Apology accepted?' Jake asked, rubbing his snout, the _ikran_'s eyes fluttered slightly and lazily half-closed; enjoying the rubbing.

'Good, cos I want to go for a ride.'

He brought he queue over his shoulder and attached it to the _ikran_'s, Jake closed his eyes for a moment as he shuddered, feeling everything about the creature in front of him. He closed his eyes and felt the rhythmic heartbeat, the tension in its wings, the huge muscles which powered it through the air, but most importantly he felt its presence in his mind. The _ikran_ stepped back and shivered too, spreading its wings and crouching slightly for Jake to hop up into the saddle, which he did. 'It's been too long, buddy.'

A couple of seconds later they launched off the ledge were airborne, soaring over the caves and then out over the forest. Exercise was the best hangover cure Jake had ever found, and he hoped it would still help him now.

* * *

By the time he got back from his flight through the mountains a few cooking fires had been relit and a small streams of smoke rose towards the sky, a rider rose up to greet him and gasped slightly as he saw who it was. The gasp came again as a shadow swept over them and Jake looked up to see _Toruk_ had returned, he smiled and realised that he would have to set it free soon, well in the very loose sense of setting something like _Toruk_ 'free'. He couldn't exactly stop it going where it wanted, but he had built up a good repertoire with it and they both knew why it had come back.

The celebrations were to continue today with displays of archery, flying and riding. He had been thinking about it while he flew with the gigantic beast and it had shown an interest in the idea, and now it was riding the thermals above, waiting for its time. Jake pushed Títx up, towards it, Títx didn't like it but then under normal circumstances it would have tried to eat him so Jake was constantly trying to convince Títx that _Toruk_ was safe now.

_Toruk_ saw them coming and dropped to meet them. Jake who had felt his hangover disappear with the flight decided it was time for some fun and leapt from one creature to the other, landing on _Toruk_'s back and forming the bond. Only when he looked down did he remember he was at least three thousand feet above the ground and there weren't any trees to land in, just bare rock. He grinned again, as the bond formed and he greeted _Toruk_ like an old friend.

* * *

To those below it was an awe inspiring sight; the warriors spun, dived and wheeled amongst each other, banshees cried out to each other and warriors whooped as they rolled through the air. _Toruk_ sailed the thermals, high above them all, Jake perched high on his back; watching, waiting for his moment. Below, the sunlight gleamed on so many flashing indigo, green, teal, pink and myriad other colours of _ikran_, in a display skill and courage as warriors raced each other to the ground; pulling up only at the last second. Other warriors displayed impressive feats of archery from the backs of their flying mounts, on the ground there were further competitions; races between warriors mounted on pa'li and team games between tribes. Awkey's boast that his tribe had the fastest _pa'li_ in all the world seemed to be well founded as they outstripped every other tribe's attempts easily.

Jake watched as the races, games and displays wondering at their ability to shrug off the effects of the night before and they began to draw to a close as he made his move. _Toruk_ pulled in his wings and dropped his head; they were flung into a spinning dive, Jake's hair streaming out above him and they dropped towards the ground like a flaming red meteor. They must have dropped over five thousand feet, and the warriors scattered as they saw the monster plummet towards them, the crowds below stared up and Neytiri bit her lip where she was standing. _Toruk_ continued to fall through the skies and had almost reached the lip of the great bowl the caves rested in. Had Jake lost control? Was something wrong?

Suddenly the four huge wings billowed outwards and _Toruk_ slowed imperceptibly, his head coming up and they pulled up and away over the crowd. They rolled as they went over and it seemed to Neytiri that the tips of _Toruk_'s wings would brush the heads of the crowd. Then they were gone, out over the forest, Jake standing on _Toruk_'s back, holding onto the great queues with one hand, the other raised in salute to his people, but his eyes were fixed on a single person the multitude.

Neytiri cried out, her hunting call she normally used with Seze, and she yearned awfully to be back in the air again, to feel the wind on her face and her hair streaming out behind; to feel the thrill of flying again.

Jake heard Neytiri's cry and banked sharply, _Toruk_'s wings came round almost to the vertical and they turned in a great arc, he felt Neytiri's need to be in the air again and directed _Toruk _past the overhang. Neytiri was waiting for him, and she jumped out, landing catlike and gripping his shoulders as _Toruk_ roared out to the crowd below. She clutched his shoulders as she swayed with each wing-beat and their joined cries echoed off the rock and into the sky.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the long update, I took AB Norway's advice and read through 'Clouds on the Horizon', a great piece!

Here is this, hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Conversion

**Conversion**

**

* * *

**

Hell's Gate squatted on the horizon like a badly-camouflaged mantis, as _Toruk_ soared on the thermals high above the forest beyond the perimeter fence. As they crossed the high fences several sentry turrets targeted them and began clicking monotonously; the ammo had been removed several days before to allow the Na'vi entry to the base.

_Toruk_ settled in the Avatar compound, looking around with beady eyes as Jake jumped down, helping Neytiri after him. She still wasn't quite sure of herself around the flying behemoth, only Jake had any idea of what was going on inside its head and he wasn't the kind of person to speak about it. Jake however, patted the huge brow above the creature's eyes before it took off again as Neytiri looked around for someone to talk to.

There were only fourteen humans left on Pandora and they had all been chosen for particular reasons, including the fact that they were in love with the planet and its creatures. A door opened at the side of the main Research Complex and two figures stepped out, Jake grinned at the sight of them as he recognised Norm and Jans Fenitil. Norm gave a whoop and ran towards them, while Jans simply waved as he swung the door closed again.

Norm grinned at Jake as they stood up, 'Wow! Look at you, all dressed up!'

Norm's Avatar had been killed in the battle with the RDA, afterwards it had been discovered with a huge hole through its chest; the victim of a GAU-90 round. Norm was mourning the loss of both his lover and his Avatar, but was trying desperately not show it.

Jake was still in his formal tribal regalia, and was carrying the ceremonial bow but before he could speak several Avatars came down the steps from the longhouse and a woman at the front asked, 'How can you have your Avatar here, Jake? The range from that Link Pod is nowhere near wide enough for you to get here, how did you amplify it?'

Honor van de Joesy didn't miss a thing; outspoken and holding views on everything, she could seem arrogant and rude without meaning to, but she was essentially a good person. Everyone who came to Pandora was there for a reason though; she was an expert in Psionic Link technology and she wanted to know what Jake was up to.

Suddenly Jake and Neytiri were surrounded by confused faces as the others realised Honor's words to be true. Jake however, sighed and said, 'Well, the game's up. Somebody tell Robbie he doesn't need to fly out; nobody's there.'

Most of the Avatar drivers simply continued to look confused, Norm and Honor were quicker on the uptake and, as though channelling the spirit of Grace Augustine, Honor placed her hands on her hips, saying, 'You need to explain yourself, Mr.'

Neytiri smiled at the apt depiction of Grace, remembering Grace telling a Na'vi girl off at the old school. Jake, on the other hand, let a full grin spread across his face and spoke with words reminiscent of several months before, 'Hell, you ain't gonna believe what I've done.'

* * *

The Avatar drivers sat astounded around the pair of Na'vi in their midst, Honor was still trying to make sense of it all. Norm just blurted out, 'So, your body? It just _died_?'

'Yeah, I guess so. I didn't really want to check it out too much.'

'Where is it?'

A flicker of some strange emotion crossed Jake's face, but he answered levelly, 'Mo'at buried it.'

'Max is going to go mental with this Jake.'

Jake grinned yet again at their confounded faces, 'Yeah, I kinda guessed he would.'

'He's gonna want to run all kinds of stuff on you.'

Jake had seen it coming, but he had other things to do, 'He's got until we need to head back.'

* * *

Max was gobsmacked at the news and didn't believe it until he saw Jake; even then he went to check the main Link Room to make sure they weren't pulling his leg. Then he was in his element, and with Honor began running all kinds of tests on Jake before he could leave. Norm however, just kept asking Jake and Neytiri questions about the ritual and if had ever been done before, or could be done again. Neytiri wasn't particularly helpful however, and kept telling him to refer to Mo'at whom Norm had never really talked to and found quite intimidating.

The people were stunned by Jake's conscious transfer, and one or two asked about it. Jake either ignored the questions or brushed them off with tales of the party afterward. When asked about why he had to return so quickly however, Neytiri answered for him, '_Toruk Makto _has many pressing matters to discuss with the Clans' Elders. We could still all starve before season changes.'

There was silence for a few moments as the scientists remembered the outside world; only a couple of them had seen the wreckage and bodies left by the clash of the Na'vi and SecOps.

Norm had several questions of his own however, pressing them on Jake as he underwent an MRI scan after Max had taken DNA samples.

'Jake, we need to talk about a few things.'

There was a sigh from inside the capsule, and Max muttered something about not moving.

'Jake, the RDA are going to come back at some point, what are we going to do?' Norm asked, 'And there's the ISVs on the way here already, they can't turn around once they accelerate.'

The bed on which Jake was lying slid out of the scanner, and he sat up. Max frowned at the computer screens in front of him, pointing something out to Honor.

Jake stood up, towering over the humans as Norm watched him, waiting for some kind of an answer. Neytiri was hovering by the door, leaning against the wall, head only inches from the ceiling and she too looked over at Jake. Her gaze had much more meaning behind it though as Jake caught her eye and he nodded, she smiled back at him, the warmth in her eyes shining out. Norm completely missed the exchange and Jake said, 'Let's go outside.'

* * *

Sitting on the grass outside, all of the people left at Hell's Gate were there to put thoughts of the future forward. Only Max and Honor were still inside as they began to discuss what would happen over the next few months.

'It'll take almost four and a half years for any messages to get back to Earth,' Ed Downs said, 'Even the RDA can't send anything faster than the speed of light, so we've got over ten years before they can get a response team to us. We might get a message back in about nine years, but we'll just have to wait and see.'

The others nodded and one man stood up, 'Just going to the loo,' he said as he walked away to the buildings. Out of the fourteen humans left on Pandora, three were ex-SecOps; Corporal Dirk Kazo, Pilot Robbie Johnson and Medical Officer Kira Shah-Rasu. All three were trained specialists and had been vouched for by the science team as having helped them at one point or other. When asked why she wanted to stay Kira had simply replied, 'What if one of you lot got hurt? Max might be great with Na'vi, but he doesn't know shit about human medicine. I'm staying.'

No one had disagreed.

Dirk wandered away to the buildings, and they continued their discussion, 'How about food supplies, water, energy, all the essentials?' Jake asked.

'We've got enough rations to last us for years, some food can be hunted; water gets purified from the river, energy from the solar panels or the river, as well. Anything machine based can be made at the plant,' Jans said, he had effectively been a quartermaster to the Avatar team and knew his way around just about every facet of the base.

The door to the main base hissed and swung open to admit Max, who shouted and waved his arms at them, only Jake and Neytiri could make out his words however, 'Jake! Look at this! It's incredible!'

Jake frowned, wondering what could possibly have got the usually quiet man so excited. He stood as Max came running across, joined by Honor who would have never normally abandoned her dignity in such a way.

'What?' Jake asked as Max arrived breathlessly with Honor right behind him.

'Um, you need to see this,' Max said and thrust the Lab Tablet into Jake's hands.

* * *

Jake stared at the pad in his hands; he recognised a simple DNA structure but couldn't make head nor tail of any of the rest of the diagram. Neytiri looked over his shoulder with an even more blank expression, but Norm gasped and Jake saw his jaw drop.

'How the Hell…?'

'What?' Jake said.

Max looked at him, awe in his eyes, but Jake spotted something else as well. Before he could decide what it was Max looked away.

Jake's brow furrowed, and he looked back at the pad; trying to make some kind of sense out of it. Thankfully Honor took pity on him and began to explain, 'Something happened when you transferred. Several things in your body have changed; your body has changed.'

Neytiri looked at her, 'Everybody's body changes with age.'

Honor shook her head, 'Jake, your _DNA_ has changed.'

Jake stared at her.

Everyone else stared at him.

Somewhere in the distance, there was a hiss and clunk of a door opening and closing.

Jake was just about to ask how, when the smell of something caught in his nose and he looked around. He recognised the smell of someone who was sweating heavily; out of fear or nervousness he was not sure and he looked sharply. He felt Neytiri tense beside him, as she too caught the smell.

There was no threat to be seen.

* * *

Corporal Kazo was just about sit down when Jake started and looked around. Jake saw the man tense as well, noticing the Na'vi's alertness; he expected no less from a former SecOps Special Forces Commando. The Corporal's eyes darted around the group; scanned the tree-line quickly then pulled out SN-9 WASP automatic revolver.

Jake almost threw his knife at the man as the huge gun swung out from behind his back, only stopping as he saw the gun wasn't pointed at him. Jake realised the smell wasn't coming from the commando as he scanned the tree-line; Kazo was simply taking Jake's lead.

Neytiri had noticed it, and her ears were flicking back and forth trying to pick up any tiny noises that could give away what was happening. Others began to notice their anticipation, and there was a gasp as Lara Gray noticed Kazo had his gun out.

Click.

Jake realised too late where the smell was coming from; with the sixteen people standing almost in a group it had been too hard to pick out a target. He dropped the Lab pad and dived forward, tackling Neytiri as the assassin fired.

He hit the ground and rolled sideways, pushing Neytiri in the opposite direction to confuse the man's aim. The sound of the safety catch had given the assassin away and Jake wasn't taking chances. He scrambled to his feet, pulling out his knife only to find Ed Downs now had the handgun pointed at Victoria Hassel's head, his arm around her neck to use her as a shield from Kazo's WASP.

Kazo glanced at Jake for permission but Jake shook his head, the WASP could have put a hole through both of them and had enough power to kill someone else. Instead, Jake drew his knife from the sheath across his chest; made from volcanic obsidian, the foot long, black blade was a lethal weapon. It was no use against a man with gun and a hostage though.

Neytiri recovered her bow from where she had left it and aimed it at Downs, who Jake had realised wasn't just nervous, but scared and frightened. She started moving around the pair to take a clear shot, but Ed jammed the gun against Vicky's temple and she screamed. Jake could hear her whispering under her breath, 'Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.'

Downs was shaking like a leaf too though as he stammered, 'St… Stop! Or I'll shoot her! I will!'

Neytiri and Kazo stopped trying to flank him.

Jake was completely bewildered; the usually rational scientist had just tried to kill him and was now on the point of tears while trying to hold a colleague, and friend, hostage. He tried to be friendly, but in his current state it was hard; he could feel his tail twitching back and forth, his ears were flat against his skull. He was bearing all the signs of a very angry Na'vi and Downs was a Pandoran Behavioural Psychologist.

He looked downright terrified.

Jake had to try though and said as softly as he could, 'Ed, what are you doing?'

'Back off!' The frightened scientist shouted, 'All of you back off!'

Everyone but Jake, Neytiri and Kazo took several steps back.

'Ed, what's wrong? What's happened?' Jake tried again.

Downs began to shuffle backwards, away from everyone, dragging Vicky back with him.

'Ed! You can't do this! Tell us why! You can't just run out of here!'

Downs stopped dragging Vicky, and let out a heart wrenching sob, 'They said they'd kill her if I didn't!'

The gun barrel pressed harder against Vicky's temple as he broke down and Vicky's eyes widened with fear.

Jake was bewildered, 'Who did? Kill who?'

'M…my daughter!'

Jake looked around for Max and Norm, who both looked shocked and as confused as Jake was. Max even mouthed, 'He doesn't have a daughter!'

'You don't have a daughter.' Jake repeated, confused.

'I… I do. Selfridge said they'd kill her if I didn't do what he said!'

Jake suddenly realised that the forest beyond the fence was deadly silent; and silence on Pandora was never a good sign. Something was out there. He thought he glimpsed a shadow move as he strained his eyes past Ed's shoulders, Neytiri noticed and glanced across too, looking concerned.

Jake only wanted to end the situation and he decided for honesty, 'Ed, listen to me; if you put the gun down no one will get hurt, no one will hurt you. It's just that there's something in the forest behind you.'

Ed glanced back fearfully and then his nerve broke, he lifted the gun from Vicky's head and fired in Jake's direction as he shoved Vicky towards Kazo. Kazo hesitated; aim blocked as Vicky stumbled towards him, screaming. Jake hit the ground for the second time and Neytiri fired her arrow as Ed turned to run, only to be distracted by the gunshot and the arrow flew wide.

Ed run for the door back into the building, pulling his keycard out as he ran. Kazo turned the WASP on him, but Jake shouted, 'No!' It was too late though for the arrow that seemed to fall out of the sky, it wasn't quite on target but from that distance it was an astounding shot. It flicked through the air and sliced the back of Ed's calf as he ran. The scientist went down in a tumbling heap as Jake spun to see who had fired the shot.

A Na'vi warrior had just dropped down on the inside of the wire fence, he stood up and ran towards Jake, who recognised him as Ta'yan; one of the two hunters he had taken _Iknimaya_ with. In the eyes of the Na'vi they were as good as brothers because of it. Jake was astounded Ta'yan was there though.

He turned back to see Kazo crash into the door just as it closed, and there was a second crash of a gunshot from inside.

'Shit!' Kazo shouted, 'He's shot the locking system! It's jammed!'

Ta'yan reached Jake and they embraced, '_What has happened, Toruk Makto? I thought the evil sky people had left?' _ he asked in Na'vi.

'It's complicated.' Jake replied in English, 'We need to disarm him and stop him going anywhere, can you help me?'

'Anything.'

* * *

The trail of blood that dripped from Ed's calf led to the Armour Bay on the other side of the compound. Jake, Neytiri and Ta'yan were waiting outside as Max opened the doors from the Ops Centre, and Corporal Kazo, Robbie and Kira covered the exits back into the base. Ed Downs was trapped in the Armour Bay, and he had at least a pistol with several rounds left in the magazine. Jake was worried they could lose someone from their small group and desperately wanted to stop Ed from hurting himself or anyone else.

The Na'vi stalked inside, using the cover of abandoned vehicles and various crates. Jake could see Robbie up on AMP rack at the Southern end with an assault rifle covering them, just in case. There was silence in the giant hangar though; Kira was at the East entrance from the Ops Centre and Kazo was on the ground on the West side. The only possible escape route was behind the Na'vi.

Jake tried to smell the man as he had out in the Avatar Compound, but all he got was fuel fumes, oil and a metallic taste in his mouth. He wrinkled his nose at the unpleasantness and saw Neytiri doing the same. Slowly they edged around the AMP section that was now mostly empty, and they neared the clear area where the C-21 Dragon Gunship had sat only weeks before.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Three gunshots roared out and Jake heard Kazo yell, 'KIRA!'

Then there was another roar, but of an engine and Jake threw himself out the way just in time as a Swan careered round the end of the AMP rack, the bull bars on the front missing him by inches. By the time Jake looked up again Downs had left the bay and was heading towards the gates.

He sighed, took a hold of his com link and glanced in the direction Kira had been before he said, 'Max, let him go.'

'Sure?' Came the reply.

'Sure.'

The gates opened and Downs roared out down the dirt road into Pandora's forests under the late afternoon suns.

Ta'yan appeared beside Jake and said, '_He won't get far.' _

_ 'Why not?' _Jake asked, puzzled.

But before Ta'yan could answer he heard a voice in his head, "They're fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin…"

If the arrow had indeed been tipped with poison, Jake pitied the psychologist would had just left Hell's Gate forever.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the awful delay! Exams... Coursework... Revision... Basically all the exciting things in life are going on at the moment, and only have the odd moment to do a spot of writing. Couple of things for you to think about: what will happen to Downs? How did Selfridge persuade him? What happened to Kira? Back to the Na'vi and their life next time. Oh, and what has happened to Jake's body?

Oh and maybe offer the nice author a review or two? Always great to hear from you guys!


	4. Resolution

**Resolution**

**

* * *

**

Ed Downs realised far too late that he had made a terrible mistake. He was over thirty miles from Hell's Gate when the fuel in the Swan ran out and the engine died away, leaving him to coast to a halt on the dirt road. He couldn't go back to the safety of the wire, even if he wanted to. Even if he could they would probably kill him; he had shot and at least wounded one of the SecOps soldiers. The odd feeling of numbness in his right leg was spreading too, and to add to his problems it was just beginning to get dark.

He sat in the cockpit for a few moments with his head in his hands before the practical side of his brain kicked in and told him to move. He clambered up onto the back platform of the Swan, clutching the handgun in his left hand as he manoeuvred his desensitised leg over the handrail. Something screeched in the jungle to his left and he spun wildly, pointing the gun into the trees. He could feel his heart pounding and he could imagine the creatures waiting for him among the leaves. He had seen SecOps patrols get back; men missing or horrifically wounded from animal _and_ plant encounters.

Downs was used to the comfort zone of the safe area around Hell's Gate, and now he was way out of his depth; far beyond his boundaries. He tried to detach one of the autocannon from the turret, but they obviously weren't meant to come off so he looked around. There was case tucked in the foot-well of the cockpit he realised, having not been able to see it while sitting down. He jumped down from the gunner's platform and crumpled on the floor as his right leg gave way. He pulled himself up again, dusty and swearing as he used the Swan for support; the numbness was spreading slowly across his stomach too now, but his brain just seemed to keep forgetting about it.

He reached the cockpit again and reached for the case, he missed, the sudden realisation that his coordination was going as well, hit him and he realised that something was really wrong with him. He glanced down at his leg; saw the small cut and bloody trouser leg, realising that he had somehow been poisoned or infected.

A sob almost escaped his lips as he realised he would be most likely be spending the night out here. Alone.

He reached the case on the second attempt and pulled it out; the effort causing stars to burst across his vision. He opened it to find a packet of flares, another pistol, a few magazines, several packets of emergency rations and a small first aid kit. The rule on Pandora was: If it can hurt you and it has, then you probably won't be getting back up to use the kit. Downs used a small amount of disinfectant to clean the cut, and bandaged it; it was only in an inch or two long but it had bled a surprising amount.

Another screech sounded in the trees, but it was the far off roar that caught his attention and he scrambled to his feet. It had come from the right hand side of the road, beyond the Swan. It came again as he stood, sweating beneath his exopack and he stumbled away towards the trees with one thought in his mind. _Get as far away from that creature as possible. _

As he meandered into the trees he realised it was darker beneath the canopy and within a hundred metres could no longer see the road. He tripped and fell a little while later, realising his shoulder had lost feeling as he hit the ground and thumped his head against a log. He lay there for several minutes, breathing raggedly; realising that he had been a fool and that he was truly alone. With a jolt realised he hadn't brought any of the supplies with him.

He decided to go back to the road.

* * *

An hour or more later it was dark apart from the fluorescing plants and he was hopelessly lost. All he had was a gun with a couple of bullets in it. He sat down on a rocky outcrop and started when he heard a whooping noise from nearby. He lifted the gun, breath choking in his throat as he stared about him, beginning to panic as another gurgling laugh sounded away to his right. It was answered by a maniacal cackle on his left.

'Oh, shi…' he began, but trailed off as he thought he saw movement among the leaves.

He whipped the gun back and forth as the noises faded, moving back up against the outcrop of stone as he felt terror set in. He fell back as both of his legs gave way, landing awkwardly with the realisation he could only really feel his upper body and arms. Even worse was that when he tried to move his right leg it wouldn't; it seemed to be paralysed.

He crawled backwards as a hissing noise reached him, his hand scrabbled against a large rock and he placed in his lap as he reached the wall of the outcrop. The gurgling laugh came again and a shadow definitely moved in front of him. He found another stone, then another and began to pile them next to him; fear urged him on.

A green orb blinked into existence several feet away and he stopped searching with his free hand as he noticed the eye; using it instead to hold the gun steady. He held the creature's gaze for almost a minute before the eye disappeared and he felt alone again for a moment, worrying about what was in the darkness as a cackling scream erupted above him somewhere.

He threw a rock out into the darkness and heard it rustle away amid the plants. The tension grew too much for him and he shouted, 'LEAVE ME ALONE!' into the night.

Every noise he could hear ceased.

The silence was possibly even more terrifying.

Beneath the exopack he felt angry tears forming; this wasn't how it was supposed to end.

Another pair of eyes blinked into existence several metres away. Then another pair, and another, until the forest in front of him seemed to be full of predatory green eyes staring hungrily at him.

He threw another rock suddenly and was rewarded with a yelp of surprise.

The eyes disappeared and he breathed a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later he wasn't sure which was worse; being able to see them or simply knowing they were there. Adrenalin kept him upright and all he could hear was his ragged, panicked breathing beneath the exopack. He wanted to scream his rage and fear at them.

Suddenly he realised his left hand had gone numb, and he desperately wished that he had never heard of Pandora.

Then they came; leaping shadows and glowing eyes.

Gunfire momentarily lit up the night.

An hour later there was silence beside the rocky outcrop, until the jungle resumed its usual night time chorus.

* * *

Jake watched the dust trail fade and shook his head, knowing the man would not last the night. If the neurotoxin didn't kill him, then the jungle would; Pandora wasn't a place to be trifled with and Dr. Downs had very limited field experience.

Ta'yan's ear suddenly fell back and he stared across the hangar, then Jake smelt it too: blood. They raced towards the scent and found Corporal Kazo half kneeling on the polished concrete floor, Kira propped against his knee and he was speaking on his com-link, 'a stretcher: Kira's hit. Armour Bay, East Entrance.'

He looked up as they arrived, and they saw something in his eyes, before a kind of mental shutter dropped down and barred any emotion.

'Downs shot her.' He said bluntly, 'It's bad; she's unconscious.'

Jake stood appalled as the implications hit him; Kira was the only proficient human medical doctor left at Hell's Gate and she was the one who was injured.

'Let me.' Jake said, and picked her off the floor. There were two bullet wounds; one high on the right side of her chest, just below her breast and one near the top of her thigh. Jake had enough knowledge of battle wounds to realise Kazo was right; if the bullet had punctured her lung she was most like going to die. The high calibre bullets had torn right through her and Jake felt blood trickling down his chest as he moved as fast as he dared towards the Medical Bay.

* * *

'Jake, there's nothing you can do here. You should head back to the People; Mo'at will be worrying about where you have got to.'

Jake's face was ashen despite his blue skin, and he swallowed, about to protest against Norm's reasoning but Neytiri slipped her arms about his waist and said, 'He's right, my Jake.'

Jake knew they were right, he knew they would contact him on the com-link if need be and he knew he was needed by the People.

'Fine.' He said, 'I've got my com-link if anything happens. Tell me when Max is finished; I want to know how she is.'

'Will do.' Norm said and Neytiri gently steered him away.

They arrived at the rock ledge over the _Vitraya Ramunong _and Jake gave Neytiri a hand as they leapt down from the gigantic _Toruk_. Ta'yan had been left behind somewhat as the huge creature was able to travel far faster than any ikran. Neytiri quickly disappeared with a tact that amazed Jake, embracing him before saying she had to tell her mother that they had returned; but then she knew that he was 'releasing' _Toruk_ back into the wild. The suns had almost set and he found himself alone on the pinnacle of the overhang.

_Toruk _regarded him with a yellow eye as he approached and bonded again with the magnificent predator. Together they surveyed the sprawling camp below for several minutes, neither receiving any kind of thoughts from the other. Then Jake began to take his leave of Pandora's true king, _my friend, _he thought, _I have already asked too much of you, and it is time that you were left to live your own life._

_Toruk_ shifted quietly and turned to look Jake solemnly in eye, _It is time for you to be free and rule the skies once again. _Jake rubbed the bony ridge above its eyes and then brushed his hand down its massive jaw. _Goodbye, Toruk, Last Shadow. _

The beast straightened up and as the queues disconnected the last thing Jake felt from the behemoth was a clear thought rather than any of the usual feelings he received from the creatures e had bonded with, _I will see you again_. Then the connection was broken, _Toruk_ stood up and roared, a different note from usual battle-cry, a hunting cry that echoed from the mountains, then it launched itself into the air, the downdraft from its wings causing small tornadoes of dust around Jake. Then it was gliding away on the thermals, towards the sunset and the horizon.

_Goodbye my friend, _Jake thought and stood, watching it till it was out of sight. He heard soft footsteps behind him and felt Neytiri slip her hand into his. He pulled her round in front of him, she leant back against his chest and they were lit by the golden sunset.

They stayed like that for some time; simply gazing out over the forest and the sky, lost in their own thoughts. As the last of the great, glowing orb hung on the horizon, Neytiri turned and pressed her face against his chest, he sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around her, feeling the warmth of her body pressed against his. Finally, after all that had happened, after so much suffering, confusion and pain, he was content to simply stand and hold the woman he loved. Now that even the last of the RDA's people had gone, Jake was happy to turn his mind to rebuilding everything that had been destroyed. He only hoped Kira would live to see the future with the rest of them.

* * *

Max knew he wouldn't be able to sleep that night; not after what had happened today. He had done everything he could to repair Kira's wounds but he was afraid he simply didn't have the knowledge to do enough. Now Kira lay in the Medical Bay, kept watch over by Lara Gray and Max sat in the Ops Centre, watching the radar boundaries on the computer; someone had to in case Downs tried to return. The chances were slim but no one wanted to risk it.

He has repaired a cracked femur where the bullet had grazed it, and removed splinters of bone from around the exit wound; it was not life threatening and he felt she would be able to recover from that wound. The chest injury was an entirely different matter however; two ribs had been shattered by the passing slug and the right lung had been punctured and bloody froth had flecked her lips as he had worked to repair the wounds. The temporary patch of medical seal he placed on the lung had seemed to work, but he had no idea if it would hold. He had set the ribs as best he could, plugged the bullet wounds and left her to rest. He would probably know by morning if she would live or die.

For the first time since the battle was over and the RDA left Max wondered what the future might hold for those left at Hell's Gate. He also wondered just how much Jake had changed and whether he had realised it; the man's DNA had been altered somehow, and that was nothing compared to the neurology test results that had come out since Jake had left. Na'vi had slightly different brains from humans, and Avatars had a mix of the two; human brains processed different information with different parts of their brain. Humans processed most visual information using the primary visual cortex located at the rear of the brain; Na'vi, on the other hand, diverted the information through all parts of a superiorly complex system; linking all the senses to produce a far more detailed analysis of every sense, sight, sound and feeling they had. Avatars worked on the same principles as humans, only the queue gave any difference from the normal human brain, but Jake's brain, although still as human as an Avatar's brain could be was now processing information like a Na'vi.

Max was slightly worried about the effects such radical changes could have on Jake's body and mind; the DNA structure change was frankly impossible, but he had run the scans several times over and there could be no fault in them. Only time would tell how Jake might change and adapt to the body that had been so strangely modified.

The com-link on the desk buzzed, demanding Max's attention and he answered it, Lara was on the other end, 'Max! Kira's woken up!'

Max arrived in the Medical Bay in a rush, Lara met him at the door and immediately began to talk, 'She's barely conscious, she can barely speak. All she said was, "Jake". I wasn't sure what to do so I just called you!'

'Right.'

Max marched through to the Bay proper and found Kira where she had been left. Blood formed small red patches on the bandages across her chest and upper leg, Max closed his eyes for a moment a sent a silent prayer to whoever may be listening.

Kira was shivering, and spluttered as Dr. Patel approached; her face was incredibly pale for the usually tanned woman, it was almost white. Max knew something was wrong and that he could no longer help her; he had failed.

Her lips moved as he stood over her and her eyes locked on his; her mind was obviously still functioning and she knew what was happening, how could she not? She was essentially a battlefield surgeon; she must know she was going to die.

Max could only say two words, 'I'm sorry…'

Her lips moved again, and she croaked, 'Jake…'

Max frowned, 'Kira?'

'Jake… tell Jake… Kazo…'

She was obviously worried about her colleagues and Max tried to assure her and give her peace, 'It's alright; Kazo's fine, we got Downs.' He lied.

'Downs…?'

'Yup, Downs has gone, he's not going to hurt anyone again.'

'No… Kazo… shot…'

Max had heard the three gunshots from the Ops Centre and Kazo had explained what had happened; Downs had fired and hit Kira with two bullets and forced Kazo into cover with a third shot, taking the opportunity to make his escape in the Swan while Kazo ducked. Kira was worrying about whether Kazo had been hit so Max was glad to assuage her fears, 'Kazo's fine; Down's missed him.'

'Kazo… shot…'

Max had never seen anyone die before but knew immediately as something vanished from behind her eyes, the shallow breaths slowly stopped and the tension in her face faded. Behind him Lara began to weep, but Max stood shocked by the miracle of death; how a living person, a personality, a spirit could simply vanish from the body.

Before he could help himself he wished savagely that Downs' passing would not be so easy.

* * *

**A/N: **A slightly shorter chapter than usual, but had to get it out there. Think we've answered a few questions with this chapter, hope you liked it! Thanks to A Sitting Duck for the bit about entanglement system, am looking into it and we'll resolve the issue shortly! Now we can move on with the Na'vi properly I believe: with a spot of Hometree searching to come and maybe a few surprises on the way...

Excellent reviews from you guys! Thanks for hanging on in there! Loving them! Keep the suggestions, questions and anything else coming; there's nothing more inspiring!

Oh, and just a note: I almost let Jake get shot in the last chapter... hope you agree it was a good idea it didn't happen!

_"Illegitimi non carborundum."_


	5. New Beginnings

**New Beginnings**

**

* * *

**

Jake clapped Awkey's back and grinned at the warrior-chief as he ululated and leapt onto his _pa'li_, causing it to rear and kick at the air. He had a found a friend for life in the excitable, boisterous Na'vi and realised he would be genuinely sad to see him leave. Awkey ululated once more and galloped away after the column of his tribe, sadly depleted in numbers of both Na'vi and _pa'li_ but proud in their part of the victory of the Great _Tawtute _Battle. Awkey and a band of his hunters would be back by evening, having escorted their tribe through the battle-zone.

The Omaticaya were to be left alone again, almost, and although the Clan Leaders of no less than fifteen neighbouring clans had given them their blessing to settle in the area around the _Vitraya Ramunong_, Jake, with Mo'at's help had convinced the remaining Clan Elders to allow a search for a new _kelutral_. The search was to begin in the morning, with what hunters could be spared from the gathering of food. Only the area to the north could be used for hunting, as the southern reaches of the land about the _Vitraya Ramunong _were full of scavenging predators searching among the wreckages of RDA vehicles. Jake could see their presence becoming a problem in the future and wanted to move the Omaticaya away from the area as soon as possible.

Out of over five hundred Na'vi men, women and children, fewer than two hundred now lived to begin new lives. The destruction of Hometree and the following SecOps battle had killed the majority of the Omaticaya; whole families had simply disappeared in the chaos and fighting. Jake was left with only twenty-three hunters; supporting almost one hundred and fifty non-combatants who had not taken part in the fighting. Almost seventy percent of the Omaticaya Tribe had been wiped-out in a matter of days by the greed of mankind.

Jake had not accepted any kind of position other than _Toruk Makto_ but for the moment he felt it was his duty to begin rebuilding the life the Omaticaya had once had; he still blamed himself for what had happened, no matter how many times Neytiri told him otherwise. He had been told of Kira's death and it too weighed upon his mind for some reason, even though they had found the abandoned Swan and the tracks of various predators nearby. Jake had even found the spent bullet casings from where Downs had made a final stand against some creature.

Now however, Jake had to turn his mind back to his new People and he had summoned the remaining hunters to a meeting to discuss the search and question them about the lie of the land nearby. He would need Awkey's council when he returned, as well. Jake thought they could be settled into a new home within a week, with Eywa's guidance.

* * *

It seemed that Jake had been optimistic when he had reckoned on a week to find a new Hometree; they had been searching for five days and as yet, had seen nothing suitable. There was always something that turned into a major factor that was missing from any they had seen so far; size, a permanent water source, hunting grounds, proximity to other tribes and myriad other reasons had led him to reject every tree they had found. Jake was beginning to worry they would not find another suitable home, and would be forced to stay in the area around the _Vitraya Ramunong. _It was becoming dangerous; packs of viperwolves were getting closer to their camp each day and becoming more and more threatening. One hunter had already been forced to abandon a kill, when a large pack came after him; thankfully he had escaped unharmed. He could see an approaching _ikran _rider almost a mile away, flying at some speed. As the rider came in to land he could see it was Ey'tok, who had been one of Tsu'tey's closest friends and he looked excited. As he came within hearing range he shouted and Jake caught the words, '_Kelutral' _and '_pxan'_, worthy. He landed and leapt down from the ledges to greet Jake, forgetting his manners in his excitement, _'Jake, you must see this! We have found and amazing site!'_

Jake gestured that he would follow and they both circled towards the mountains, anticipation grew in Jake's heart; if Sacaya had sent Ey'tok to find him then it must be a decent site. They had only begun to look in the Hallejuah Mountains the day before, as they were a dangerous place to start a home, with all the moving rocks and inevitable collisions. Suddenly Jake had a feeling he would be disappointed, as he had been time and time again over the past week.

Neytiri heard the shouts and emerged from overhang to see what the excitement was about; she had just brought back a hexapede kill and washed her hands of blood before running over. Ey'tok was babbling and she could only catch a few words, _'Hometree…Sacaya is amazed… it's beautiful!' _

Jake didn't seem impressed however, and pulled a tiny carved wooden block from a pouch on his knife bandolier. He placed it between his lips and blew, found the toy amazing; no sound came out but Jake's _ikran _lifted its head from where it was roosting and flapped towards him. She had assumed it a piece of _tawtute_ technology until he carved a second one to show her, and she had stood astounded by it; he still hadn't told her how it worked.

She watched jealously as he mounted Títx and Ey'tok took off; she had not had time to return to the _ikran_ roosting sites to tame another and missed flying Seze with all her heart. At the last minute Jake looked back and caught her eye; in a moment he saw all of the sadness and want in her eyes. He made a snap decision and shouted, _'Come on! Join us, Títx can carry both of us!' _

She hesitated, unsure whether he was teasing her or not; his _ikran _was not called _Títxur_, strength, for nothing. He grinned at her, and she gave in; abandoning any dignity and jumping up behind him, kissing his neck as she knelt behind him. Títx groaned but Jake said in English, 'Think of it as a workout, boy!' They launched into the sky, the _ikran_'s wings beating twice as hard as usual to compensate for the extra weight. Once they were up however, they were able to use the thermals to glide and they travelled much faster.

For once, despite his resolution to not expect any more from this tree than any others, Jake felt a feeling of hope enter his heart. Perhaps it was Neytiri's presence, or the beauty of the mountains; the usual mist had lifted, leaving a clear view for miles in every direction. Waterfalls fell like cooling rain from the trembling mesas and gigantic vines swung gently in the breeze. Sprays of foliage capped the floating mountains as they drifted along their eternal paths, shadowing the land below and causing the wind to whistle gently among the crags.

* * *

They flew for what felt like several hours and Jake could feel the anticipation building in his heart, despite his efforts to keep his mind impartial and emotionless. It was latter part of the afternoon when Jake spotted a huge crater at the base of one of the grounded mountains, fading back into a huge crevasse that reached several thousand feet in depth where it seemed the entire mountain had been split in two by some cataclysmic collision.

Ey'tok turned to point it out to them, and turned his _ikran _towards the gap. Jake had the sudden premonition that they were going to see something incredible; he felt Neytiri's hand on his shoulder tense with excitement and knew she could feel it too.

Entering the top half of the crevasse plunged them into shadow, and they flew in twilight for several minutes through what had once been, millennia ago, the heart of the mountain. When they burst back out into the sunlight, Jake's eyes took several minutes to get used to the brightness again. He heard Neytiri gasp and stand up behind him, clutching his shoulders for support as she craned to see everything at once.

Suddenly he could see again, and he too felt awestruck as never before in his life. He felt he had found paradise when he had begun to explore Pandora's forests with Neytiri, now he realised that this was something more and he could even begin to think of words to describe its beauty.

The mountain crevasse was only the very end of a huge rift valley; something akin to Armageddon must have occurred once in this place, to have formed such impossible geological beauty. Below and before them was a valley that extended for miles, covered in lush green, virgin forest and Jake had the sudden feeling that they were the first people to discover such a place. He felt as though he had been thrown back to the dawn of time and he felt an odd feeling of déjà vu, as though he wasn't seeing this place first time. Below him was a substantial lake, draining out into the floor of the crevasse and fed by a river flowing from a plateau in the far distance, spilling off the high ledges from an impossibly tall waterfall. But best of all, to Jake and probably the other two Na'vi was the tree, or trees, that stood at the end of the lake where the river joined it.

It was obviously younger than the giant the Omaticaya had lived in previously; it was smaller but it had several amazing features. It actually spanned the river; the grove of trees that made up the complex structure had somehow been split apart but had grown back towards each other again. The result was a far greater, more extensive network of branches and roots that supported a huge platform above the river itself. Branching around and eventually above the platform were the growing parts of the tree; intertwining above and spreading out to the sides were wide, newer trunks and branches. Jake could easily see that it could become a perfect home for a Na'vi tribe, however, there was more to choosing a site than just the tree, even if he could already feel himself falling in love with it.

They flew on towards it and Jake could make out a tiny figure waving from the platform as they swept across the lake. Jake grinned as he realised that even Sacaya had abandoned her usual calm, collected nature it the face of such magnificent beauty. As they came in to land, Jake looked up at the sky and found it oddly free of floating monoliths; no shadows were cast over the valley and it took Jake a couple of minutes to understand the strange phenomenon. Then he realised that the mountains surrounding the valley were so incredibly tall, that even the highest floating mesas would not be able to pass over. This was indeed a sheltered paradise and Jake hoped that this would be the last time they would ever have to look over a _kelutral_ to see if it was fit for habitation.

It seemed perfect; the lake, the secluded forest, the waterfall, the mountains and if there was prey in the forests then they would have a defensible home deep in the Hallejuah Mountains, deep in the flux. Evidently even Sacaya hadn't even known about this place or they would have come here immediately, how had they found it? It was days away from the path of _iknimaya_, beyond any usual reaches of any Clan's hunting territory and well past the reaches of Jake's limited knowledge of the forests.

Títx landed awkwardly with the weight of two Na'vi and Neytiri quickly jumped down to relieve his burden, thanking him for carrying her such a great distance. Sacaya was waiting for them and Jake actually found the dour female grinning, Ey'tok landed beside them and exclaimed, _'Is this not the most beautiful sight you have ever seen!'_

Jake leapt down and once again marveled at his surroundings, it immediately became apparent that there was room for several improvements around the tree; tough fungus steps would need to be cultivated for them to reach certain areas, and Jake found himself already planning how he would lay out the camp. Standing on the platform itself also gave Jake new insight into how the trees had grown together; somehow becoming joined over the centuries, which had created the great platform they stood on. The trees had then grown outwards once more; producing a huge bowl that was open to the sky in some parts protected from the worst of the elements by the thick outer branches. The main trunks had grown further upwards, separately and twin pinnacles rose above them, high over the lake and forest.

'_Oel ngati kameie.'_ Sacaya greeted him as he approached, and echoed Ey'tok's excited words, 'Is this not the most beautiful place you ever seen?'

'_Oel ngati kameie, Sacaya_. I believe that you have found our new_ kelku, Eywa _willing. Have you scouted the forest?' Jake wasted no time in cutting directly to the point.

'_Srane_, there are as many fruit trees and animals as you could care to count;_ Eywa _has provided generously!'

'Well, I believe it is decided then. You must leave now to arrive tonight and announce such important news to the clan, I am grateful to you for finding such an amazing place for us to live.'

She smiled at him, '_Irayo, eyktan._ It is always a pleasure to serve my people.'

Ey'tok looked confused, 'And you, _eyktan?_ Will you not be returning with us?'

Jake smiled, knowing he had had one of the best ideas of his life, 'No, I will not ne returning just yet. Neytiri and I will scout the land a second time, to confirm the choice; meaning no disrespect to your judgement, Sacaya.' He said, bowing his head to the hunter, 'Besides, I fear that even Títx does not have the strength to carry us back just yet.'

Neytiri caught the mischievous gleam in his eyes and a smile caressed her lips as she realised Jake's true plans; there had only been rare moments recently when they could be alone together and Jake had just opened an undefined length of time for them to relax and enjoy each others company. In allowing Sacaya to return and deliver the news, he was also letting her take the credit for her discovery and she would bask in the glory of being the one to discover the new Hometree. Whereas, if Jake had returned as well, people would automatically assume that he had been the one to discover it. He was working hard to dispel the illusion that he was some kind of legendary, all-powerful hero.

Sacaya smiled knowingly, and acquiesced Jake's request; calling her _ikran _and beckoning Ey'tok to follow her. Ey'tok seemed momentarily perplexed and looked on the verge of offering to let Neytiri ride on the back of his _ikran_, but then he caught on and grinned at the pair, calling, 'I hope your _scouting_ proves fruitful, and does not tire you too much to make the return journey when you are finished!' as he jumped onto his _ikran_.

Neytiri blushed, but Jake was used to varying degrees of banter from the marines and simply shouted back, 'And you should get back before Ta'lia starts think you've run away and finds a more handsome mate!'

Ey'tok scowled back ferociously and with Sacaya laughing delightedly, they launched themselves off the platform; almost skimming the river below before gliding out across the lake.

Neytiri and Jake watched until the hunters disappeared from sight, then Neytiri sighed and looked around them, 'Do you really think this is the place, my Jake?'

Despite having only just arrived, Jake found himself turning to her and saying, 'Yes, my love, I can feel it in my heart.'

She smiled with eyes full of warmth and mischief, before suddenly darting past him, pulling his tail and shooting off across the platform calling, 'Then we must explore out new home!'

* * *

Kira was buried with a little ceremony on the edge of the Avatar Compound, and all Max could feel was anger at the loss of someone who had only ever tried to help. The emotions running through almost scared the usually gentle xeno-scientist, but he was also worrying about the future; it had been less than a week since they had sent the RDA on their way and already they had lost two of the fourteen people left at Hell's Gate. How long would it be before they lost someone else; accidents happened and the jungle was a dangerous place.

Max was also worried about Norm; the usually excitable researcher had been acting oddly of late. He had taken the loss of his Avatar badly and the loss of his girlfriend even worse, now it seemed as though they were surrounded by death with only twelve humans left on Pandora. He had hardly eaten in days, and was looking pale, gaunt almost; in fact, almost everyone was looking lethargic and world-weary. Max decided that if they were going to survive in this deadly paradise then people had to get on with living; they ought to remember the dead, but not be tied down by their own pasts.

Max realised that they just needed a push in the right direction to get everyone back on track, and to make then remember why they were there in the first place. There was research to be done, but before that could be restarted they needed to sort out the mess that was currently Hell's Gate. All he needed to find was something to push them with.

He looked around at the sad and crying faces, subconsciously picking out Corporal Kazo, the emotionless man. Kazo obviously felt he was being watched and looked up, meeting Max's eye and seemed to discern meaning from his gaze. Max hadn't asked a question but Kazo nodded slightly and Max knew he had found someone to help him.

* * *

**A/N: **This will be the last one for a week or two; exams start tomorrow... But don't worry! Once they're done we'll be plunging back into the story!

So leave a couple of reviews and I'll get back to you after the exams are over!


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